DeSantis cancels morning show appearances just before ending his presidential campaign
- Gov. Ron DeSantis canceled his scheduled Sunday appearances on NBC and CNN.
- Hours later, he dropped out of the race and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
GOP presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis canceled planned appearances on cable news channels Sunday morning, hours before officially ending his campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump
The Florida governor was scheduled to appear on both CNN and NBC ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday but canceled both, citing a "last-minute schedule change," according to NBC's Kristen Welker.
"Gov. Ron DeSantis has pulled out of his #MTP appearance tomorrow morning due to what a person familiar says is a last-minute schedule change. Per his campaign, he will now hold an event in New Hampshire tomorrow evening. He is currently campaigning in South Carolina," Welker posted on X on Saturday evening.
But later Sunday, DeSantis announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump.
"I can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don't have a clear path to victory," DeSantis said in a message to supporters. "It's clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance."
DeSantis also used a fake Churchhill quote in his speech.
CNN reports that Trump's campaign has been prepping for the announcement since Saturday.
The New Hampshire primaries will take place on Tuesday. The Republican primary in South Carolina will occur in late February. CNN previously reported the latter would likely be the "last stand" for the DeSantis campaign.
"I'm asking for your support as we get into this primary next month," DeSantis told voters in a restaurant in Florence, South Carolina on Saturday, according to CNN. "I'll be a candidate that will be able to bring our party together up and down the ballot, just like I did in Florida."
Once considered a leading Republican presidential contender, DeSantis had fallen slightly behind candidate Nikki Haley and well behind the GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, despite his multiple indictments. The Florida governor's performance at the Iowa caucus was disappointing and has fueled speculation that his days on the campaign trail are numbered.
"What we did in Iowa, we did make an impression," DeSantis said after the Iowa caucus. "I had people come up to me saying, 'I love you, man. I'm gonna do Trump this time and do you next time.'"